Monday, October 31, 2011

Interview: Byron Brochmann Talks Terra Nova | Shockya.com

Read Shockya.com's exclusive interview with Australian actor Byron Brochmann, who has a recurring role as the Tower Guard on the new FOX mystery sci-fi series ‘Terra Nova.’ The show follows the Shannons, a family living in 2149, who travel back in time 85 million years to prehistoric Earth to join Terra Nova. The colony of humans is given a second chance to rebuild civilization and save humanity. Brochmann discusses with us, among other things, what attracted him to the show, which airs Monday nights at 8/7c, and what it was like transitioning to a sci-fi series after appearing in numerous war projects.

Written by: Karen Benardello

ShockYa (SY): What was it about ‘Terra Nova’s subject matter that you found appealing, and convinced you to audition?

Byron Brochmann (BB): Well, actually it’s being filmed locally where I live in the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. Having something so big come to where I live is great. I mean, we’ve had many here before, but another Steven Spielberg one is better as well. Working on a production like this, being done by FOX, I knew it would be quite big, but you actually don’t know the scale until you step on set, and see the actual sets you’re working with. Not only that, in terms of the characters, and how many cast and crew are involved as well. But I mean, it’s one of those things you can’t really turn down, you want to do it.

SY: Touching on the subject of filming in Australia, what is it like shooting ‘Terra Nova’ there?

BB: It’s great, apart from the weather, which is good or bad sometimes. It’s actually quite good. As you’ve probably seen, the locations and the sets you see on the show, it’s quite spectacular. The Gold Coast, where we’re filming, not only that, but Queensland and Australia itself, there are a lot of locations that substitute for other parts of the world, so it’s actually quite great. With the Gold Coast, it’s a great place to film, because generally, the weather is quite good, about 80 percent of the year.

SY: Like you said, Steven Spielberg is an executive producer on ‘Terra Nova.’ You previously worked with him on last year’s mini-series ‘The Pacific.’ What was it like reuniting with him for ‘Terra Nova?’

BB: I haven’t actually met Steven myself, but I mean working on his productions, on ‘The Pacific,’ and now with ‘Terra Nova,’ I’ve been very fortunate. It has been a great experience, and I hope it’s not the last one, and there are more to come.

SY: You play the tower guard on ‘Terra Nova,’ but you’re primarily known for your acting in war drama television projects. What was the transition like, going from war series to a sci-fi show?

BB: I mean, it is quite similar. In the next episode, you’ll see a bit of marching and a bit of military discipline with what’s going on. It is similar, but it is different in terms of doing something like, say ‘The Pacific’ or ‘Kokoda,’ because they’re period, and set back in the ’30s and ’40s. So you have to stick to a strict regimen, not only in terms of how you even say things on camera, but also how you act physically and hold your weapon, and your mannerisms, and marching. With ‘Terra Nova,’ it’s very much the same, but not to the same extent, because it is set in the future. So it’s scripted in a way that in the future, it’s not so full-on, in terms of how you do things. You still have to do things, in terms of what the commander tells you, because there is that rank that is still available in the future that is used these days, and what there was in the past.